Liverpool FC displayed the resilience, spirit and character missing from previous visit to Stoke City

Philippe Coutinho (hidden) celebrates with the fans and team mates after scoring

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Redemption was delivered via the right boot of Liverpool’s little magician.

Philippe Coutinho turned an afternoon of dogged resistance into one of unbridled celebration with another dazzling addition to his collection of match-winning strikes.

The Brazilian’s stunning 25-yarder four minutes from time exorcised the ghosts of the Reds’ 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Stoke City just 77 days earlier and sent the 2,800-strong travelling Kop into raptures.

Coutinho provided a beacon of light for Liverpool amid the dismal struggles of last season and he got the new campaign off to the best possible start with his late masterclass at the Britannia Stadium.

The contrast to the Reds’ previous visit to the Potteries back in May was stark.

Back then a shell-shocked Brendan Rodgers made his way down the touchline after the final whistle having overseen the club’s worst defeat for more than half a century.

Anger and vitriol rained down on him from the away end with Rodgers knowing that such a spineless capitulation had left him fighting for his future.

This time the Northern Irishman had his chest puffed out and his applause to the jubilant away end was returned with interest.

Reds showed key attributes which were so badly lacking in previous Britannia defeat

Rodgers had promised to regain supporters’ trust by overseeing an Anfield revival and this was a first step in that direction.

You could spend all day picking holes in what was a desperately disjointed performance, but crucially Liverpool showcased the kind of attributes they lost during the wretched slump towards the end of last term.

There was resilience, spirit and character in abundance. A squad accused of lacking mental toughness when they floundered in the spring dug deep to repell Stoke’s advances.

But for the beauty of Coutinho’s strike this would have been rightly labelled as winning ugly.

No-one epitomised that transformation in the camp more than Dejan Lovren, who could hold his head high after a gutsy defensive display.

It was a big call by Rodgers to start the £20million Croatian centre-back ahead of Mamadou Sakho but his faith was repaid.

Where he spread panic and uncertainty last season, this time Lovren was much more assured and the clean sheet was reward for his efforts.

This was a team which had never played together - and it often showed

A summer of sweeping changes at Anfield was underlined by the fact that just five members of Liverpool’s line up had started the same fixture back in May.

After an £80million spending spree, there were debuts for Christian Benteke, James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne and teenager Joe Gomez, who was preferred to £12million Spaniard Alberto Moreno. Roberto Firmino followed later from the bench.

After a pre-season when Liverpool travelled 30,000 miles and largely playing sub-standard opposition, this was a team who had never played together before and it showed.

The opening 45 minutes were instantly forgettable with neither keeper seriously tested and quality from both sides in short supply.

Stoke were typically robust with Ibrahim Afellay booked early on for leaving his studs on Clyne.

Ice-cold Gomez showed composure often lacking in more experienced colleagues

But Liverpool matched them for application in all departments with Gomez refusing to be bullied by the combative Jonathan Walters.

The ice-cool teenager showed few nerves on his Premier League debut. He was strong in the tackle and the England youth international dealt with most of what the Potters threw at him.

The same kind of composure was absent elsewhere as Liverpool repeatedly gave possession away cheaply.

Rodgers had rebuffed claims Benteke was simply a target man and insisted the Belgium international would fit into the Reds’ slick passing game.

However, the temptation to lump it long is always there when the focal point of your attack is 6ft 4ins tall. And too often in the first half Liverpool hammered it aimlessly in Benteke’s direction when there were much better options to take.

The result was that Benteke was left isolated and feeding off scraps.

Sight of Glen Johnson doing passable impression of Cafu was baffling in the first half

Stoke looked the more menacing and there was a let-off when Charlie Adam fluffed his kick after Marco Van Ginkel had got away from Coutinho.

After being beaten in the air by Walters, Martin Skrtel was relieved to see Mame Diouf’s weak shot easily dealt with by Simon Mignolet.

The fact that Liverpool shelved plans to buy a new No 1 keeper this summer was testament to the manner in which Mignolet revived his Anfield career last season.

However, for all the improvements he’s made in commanding his box and being a more dominant figure, his kicking remains an area of concern.

Twice in quick succession he put the Reds under pressure by scuffing clearances as they rode their luck.

The most baffling sight of the first half was Glen Johnson’s passable impersonation of Cafu. Nine minutes before the break he should have inflicted some damage on his former club.

After Van Ginkel’s deflected cross was hacked away by Skrtel, Afellay’s piledriver was blocked by Clyne and fell invitingly for Johnson. However, he couldn’t sort his feet out and ended up scooping it over the bar.

The second half brought more of the same with Liverpool only briefly spluttering into life as an attacking force.

Adam Lallana was ineffective and it was no surprise when he made way for Emre Can just past the hour mark.

That change allowed Coutinho to play further forward and the little Brazilian belatedly came to life. A surging run ended with Benteke being teed up but his strike was blocked by Johnson. Butland then clung on to Martin Skrtel’s header as the contest began to open up.

With time running out, Liverpool looked destined to secure a hard-earned point but Coutinho had other ideas.

Turning away from Steve Sidwell 35 yards out, he worked way into space and unleashed a dipping 25-yarder beyond Butland before being mobbed up his team-mates.